UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health (SCGH) – Janet M. Turan, PhD, MPH; Director, Anna M. Helova, DrPH, MA, MBA; Deputy Director

The SCGH (https://www.uab.edu/sparkmancenter) was established at the UAB School of Public Health (SOPH) with a federal endowment in April 1980. The vision of the Sparkman Center is to make substantive and sustainable contributions to the achievement of health equity and social justice in resource-limited settings around the globe by working collaboratively to increase public health knowledge and capacity. The mission is to develop sustainable approaches to advance global health equity and social justice through support for cutting-edge interdisciplinary education, research, global health practice, and community engagement in collaboration with international and domestic partners. The Sparkman Center’s mission is supported by three fundamental pillars, including (1) Education: graduate and undergraduate global health educational programs and opportunities for UAB students, faculty, and community. (2) Research: support for research and scholarship conducted by UAB faculty, staff, and students in collaboration with global partners. (3) Global health practice and community engagement: training, empowerment, knowledge dissemination, capacity building, and workforce development in global partner countries and the UAB community. Sparkman Center established a Sparkman Scholars program, a recognized network of UAB faculty working in the areas of global health and development. This network aims to facilitate developing new collaborations with colleagues across campus, as well as making linkages with students interested in global health and development. Sparkman Scholars also serve as mentors to students from among a select group of students who apply to become Sparkman Fellows through a competitive process. The Sparkman Center has 1600 sq. ft. of committed office and meeting space. There is a full complement of administrative staff that are available to support this project and they are in turn supported by the UAB School of Public Health administrative staff.

https://www.uab.edu/sparkmancenter/about